Saint Petersburg Travel Forum

Hi all.

Firstly, thankyou for taking the time to read this post.
Ok, i have just booked a last minute trip to St Petersburg, and am wondering where to visit while there. I will be there from the 6th - 9th March although the first and last days will mainly be taken up by travelling. So i shall have 2 days to fill up, and was just curious to know where some of you would recommend going to see. I dare say the Hermitage will take quite a while.
This will be my first trip to Russia, so i have been learning a bit of the Russian language. Wow it is hard!!! Are the locals forgiving if you pronounce things incorrectly? I am at least trying:)
Which is the best and safest way to get from the airport to the centre?

Many thanks,
Simon.

2 days in St Petersburg? So much to see! Take the Hopon/Hopoff bus tour around the city for a good overall impression and an informative but not too-fact-stuffed commentary. Also take a water tour - there are several places you can pick these up and the canals and waterways are such an integral part of the city.

The Peter and Paul Fortress and Cathedral is a must, as is a walk down Nevsky Prospekt. If you can cope with brusque service and iffy coffee the cafe on the first floor of the fabulous Singer Building (now a super bookshop) looks straight out on to the Kazan Cathedral through huge windows. The Church on Spilled Blood is filled with dazzling mosaics - a shame their artistic merit doesn't match the skill of the artisans who put them there. St Isaacs Cathedral is awesome. A quick trot through the scruffy-on-the-outside Museum of Zoology (next door to the Naval Museum) reveals masterly taxidermy - everything from humming birds to Ice Age mamoths. We loved the Naval Museum.

The Hermitage is too rich a pudding to digest in one hit - if you've already been to some of the world's great galleries, much it is just lots and lots more of the same stuff - I'd concentrate on the purely Russian aspects of it. Whatever you do, don't eat at the cafe there.

Beautiful parks and gardens, the turquoise dome of the city's main mosque - straight out of Central Asia, the cruiser Aurora, Peter's Cabin (Peter the Great's first St Petersburg house). Make sure you pack your most comfortable walking shoes.

Try to get tickets for the Mariinsky, otherwise the theatre at the Winter Palace stges Swan Lake throughout the year.

Thanks for that excellent reply!
That has given me some good ideas.... but it has also made me realise, like you say... 2 and a bit days probably wont be enough time!!
Hmmmmmmmmmm... i have to pick and choose now!
Best walking shoes are packed, and the guide book and map will hopefully be here by the end of the week.

What sort of time do the restaurants open and close in the evenings in St Petersburg? I had also been looking at the ballet like you mentioned, but was not sure which was the best to see.... i was looking at a 'ballet gala' at the Mariinsky on the 8th. Does anyone have any experience of that particular show?

Many thanks again.
Simon.

for 2 days I recommend to walk around the city but now the weather is not good for walkings, I was in StP last weekend and it was -5-7 with wind. I think it will be similiar in 2 weeks. get warm clothes that to walk around and to see as much as possible. in any way there are a lot of cafes and coffeshops to have hot tea or coffee. if you feel cold then you may spend time in museum like Hermitage or Russian Museum which are quite big to spend at least 3 hours inside :-))))
the safest way from the airport is taxi of course. I can't say the price cause I came to internal airport but there is so named official airport taxi. I think the price is near of RUR 1000 (EUR 21).
Mariinsky is the best theatre in Russia for opera performances in my opinion. I don't like ballet. I hope the ballet in Mariinsky is great as well. :-)

Yes, 2 days in SP will be fun! The Hermitage is nice to visit but I only spent a few hours and not the whole day. There's so much more to see and I like walking to the Church of Spilt Blood. Also, I bought through Expedia my day activities where a guide picked me up from my hotel and brought me to the Peterhof Fountains --- but they are open depending on which months you go (closed at winter - fountains frozen!)...But there is also the Catherine Palace which is a short drive away. So, because of the short time, you really might consider those guided tours ---- I was actually the only person they were touring at the time (Septemeber) and so I had my own guide and driver...and the guides spoke English.

Thank you in Russian is SPASEEBO (long eeee)....and look at the symbols for male and female toilets (cyrillic? I forgot how it looked like already but you have to know this before you go, hehehe....don't want to go in wrong toilet)....Hope this helps, Norman :)

2 days is not enough to see the city but enough to fill its charm and beauty!

Mariinsky Theather see at http://www.mariinsky.ru/en/playbill/playbill/ - La Sylphide on the 7th. It's worth to see Mariinsky ballet. Take in mind that ticket prices for foreigners are more expensive then for locals. You can buy a ticket online.
Another sites to see:
Hermitage
Russian museum (Russian paintings)
Peter and Paul Fortress
Chirch on Spilled Blood
Isaak Cathedral

You can take a bus (or minibus) number 13 from the airport to the metro station Moskovskaya and then by metro to the center.

I can show you some sites and you can try your Russian with me.
Email me if you want.

Thanks for all the replies and the help from all of you!
Not long until my trip now.. 3 days!! Just got my visa in the post today. My Russian language is thankfully getting a bit better too! :)

Still not 100% sure on where i shall visit... but i have a lot of good ideas to work with thanks to all your tips.

I would say you should see the Peterhoff park and palace with it's fountains. I think that is the best place must see. Location is here http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=59.886009,29.910665&spn=0.008042,0.019312&t=h&z=16
You can take a boat at the Neva close to Hermirage and go Peterhoff.

I had a very positive experience with a taxi driver in St Petersburg:
I contacted him by email, he is prompt in answering emails and sms. I made with him an appointment to show us (me and my wife) St Petersburg and the environments of ST Petersburg. He told us a lot about St Petersburg and its history. He was very puctual in the appointments we made. Also for the payment we had no surprises. He is not only a professional, but also a very kind person. I can strongly recommend him.

His name: Leonid Seleznev
email: leonid55@yahoo.com
Tel: +7 911 925 0810 ( this is also his cel phone)

Gerrit Venemans